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community that the tree removal process is difficult to understand and there is a lot of <br />confusion around the Heritage Tree Board of Appeals' roles and responsibilities. <br />Tree Inventory <br />The first tree inventory was created in the early 2000s and was comprised of City- <br />owned trees. The tree inventory database captures characteristics unique to each tree <br />such as the pruning schedule, a condition rating, the species, and a general value of the <br />tree. The inventory includes street and park trees managed by the City that were <br />geolocated using GIS. For more than 20 years, the tree inventory has been an <br />important tool that staff uses to care for and maintain the city's approximately 26,000 <br />trees. <br />Climate Action Plan and Climate Action Plan 2.0 <br />In addition to an analysis of the Tree Preservation Ordinance, another primary catalyst <br />for an Urban Forest Master Plan came from the recent Climate Action Plan 2.0 (CAP <br />2.0) which was adopted by the City Council in 2022. The CAP 2.0 was an update from <br />the first Climate Action Plan which was adopted in 2012 and which recommended a <br />citywide tree planting program, using tree planting to reduce the "urban heat island" <br />effect in parking lots, business parks and along sidewalks, and assumed the planting of <br />200 trees per year. The updated CAP 2.0 as adopted by the City Council took these <br />recommendations a step further by estimating total carbon sequestration which can be <br />achieved by planting new trees in optimum locations. The creation of an Urban Forest <br />Master Plan was specified under CAP 2.0's action items. <br />In response to community input and the recommendations in the CAP 2.0, in 2021 the <br />City Council allocated $200,000 for an Urban Forest Master Plan, CIP No. 22773, as <br />part of the Capital Improvement Program budget. <br />DISCUSSION <br />The Urban Forest Master Plan is a document that will guide the management of the <br />City's urban forest over the next 25 years. The plan will lead to an equitable, resilient, <br />and sustainably managed urban forest, will clearly and concisely communicate a <br />framework for the long-term care, preservation and expansion of the community's urban <br />forest and will include: <br />An update to the inventory of trees managed by the City <br />A review of the general health of the urban forest considering both public and <br />private trees <br />A guide for tree maintenance and tree planting practices for public areas and <br />private development to sustain and enhance the urban forest into the future <br />An analysis of environmental programs relating to the urban forest, including <br />meeting the goals of the CAP 2.0 <br />A cost/benefit analysis of the urban forest related to CAP 2.0 goals <br />Recommendations on engagement and education to the community about the <br />importance of a sustained urban forest <br />Page 3 of 6 <br />Docusign Envelope ID: 4766C15C-A048-4E7F-9D55-CCFC4045496CDocusign Envelope ID: 5DDEF3A6-28A0-4A08-8CF9-8B7857419654